Chapter 228: Flawed Pill, Mo Yu's Plan
As Mo Yu gazed at the red pill that continually shifted between a human form and a beastly roar, a name suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The seventh-grade pill, the Shapeshifting Pill!
Whether it was from the original story he remembered or from his own experiences after being reborn, Mo Yu was not unfamiliar with this pill. He recalled that in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, when Yun Yun attempted to trade with the Amethyst Winged Lion King for the Amethyst Spirit Crystal, the latter had requested this very pill, the Shapeshifting Pill. At that time, Yun Yun, who was already the leader of the Yun Lan Sect and wielded great power, had decisively refused the request, highlighting the rarity and value of the Shapeshifting Pill.
Mo Yu never expected to encounter this legendary Shapeshifting Pill here in the Black-Corner Region.
Although many in the audience were unaware of the pill's specific properties, the earlier burst of red light hinted at its extraordinary nature, causing many to eye it with covetous glances.
Unlike those who were unsure of the pill's effects, the powerful factions at the front, like the Savage Beast Sect, were visibly excited. Gao Ba, in particular, was so agitated that the Dou Qi within him began to overflow uncontrollably.
On the crystal platform, the auctioneer let his gaze slowly sweep over the shocked faces in the crowd before he finally smiled with satisfaction. Pointing to the red pill, he said with a grin, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the highlight of our auction: the seventh-grade pill, the Shapeshifting Pill!"
Whoosh!
As soon as the auctioneer's words fell, the entire venue fell silent. Then, an uproarious commotion erupted, accompanied by the sound of people gasping in shock. The noise filled the auction hall as countless pairs of red eyes, filled with urgent breaths, stared intently at the deep red pill.
A seventh-grade pill!? More than half of the people present had never seen such a high-level pill in their lives. And now, this legendary high-grade pill was right before their eyes. How could they not be excited and lose their composure?
Although some knew that the Shapeshifting Pill was meant for magic beasts, the value of a seventh-grade pill was immeasurable, far beyond what could be quantified in gold.
"Hehe, many of you may not have seen this pill before, but you've likely heard of its name," the auctioneer continued with a smile, seeing the confusion in some of the attendees' eyes. "With the Shapeshifting Pill, a magic beast can fully transform into human form. Once in human form, their cultivation speed can match that of humans. Now, isn't that valuable?"
Upon hearing this, some of the fighters who didn't know the pill's purpose nodded in understanding.
Magic beasts naturally have much longer lifespans than humans. While some rare pills can extend life, they still fall short compared to the lifespans of magic beasts, especially high-level ones. If a high-level magic beast successfully transforms and then safely cultivates for another hundred years or more, it would become an incredibly powerful entity.
For magic beasts, the Shapeshifting Pill was a priceless treasure.
Whether to give it to their battle pets or to forge an alliance with a high-level magic beast, obtaining this pill would be a highly profitable deal.
After a brief silence, the sound of people sucking in cold breaths filled the massive auction hall. When the crowd looked again at the red pill within the cage, their desire had turned into pure greed.
"It's really the Shapeshifting Pill…" Mo Yu murmured to himself, a gleam of light flashing in his silver eyes.
"Kid, it looks like someone just handed you a pillow when you were feeling sleepy. Didn't you always think that little Purple Flame was growing too slowly? Well, the Shapeshifting Pill is the perfect opportunity," Snake Uncle's voice echoed in Mo Yu's mind. "Although Purple Flame has spent the past year doing nothing but eating and sleeping in the Beast Ring, its strength has been slowly increasing ever since it devoured the flesh of that unknown beast you mentioned. Now it's just one step away from advancing. While the Shapeshifting Pill primarily helps beasts transform, it's still a genuine seventh-grade pill with powerful medicinal energy. It could help Purple Flame break through to the fifth tier, comparable to a human Dou Wang. Moreover, once it transforms into human form, Purple Flame's cultivation speed will greatly increase. At that point, you'll have a powerful helper."
"Yes…" Mo Yu nodded slightly. Snake Uncle's words aligned perfectly with his own thoughts. The Shapeshifting Pill seemed to be tailor-made for Purple Flame.
With this pill, Purple Flame could not only use its medicinal energy to break through to the fifth tier but also transform into human form. In human form, Purple Flame's cultivation speed would accelerate, and it could move freely within human society.
Since arriving in the Black-Corner Region, Mo Yu realized that relying solely on his own strength would not be enough to quickly achieve his goals. He needed the support of a powerful force. For example, having a faction help him gather the primary materials for forging the Soul-Merging Sacred Cup would make things much easier.
Although he had already joined the strongest faction in the Black-Corner Region, Jia Nan Academy, the academy rarely involved itself in the region's affairs. Moreover, Mo Yu couldn't immediately leverage its power, making it somewhat useless for his current needs.
This made it all the more necessary to join another faction.
As a fourth-grade artifact refiner, Mo Yu was confident that he could secure a high position and favorable treatment even within a top-tier faction like the Di Yan Sect, perhaps even being offered a revered position.
However, after some thought, Mo Yu decided to abandon that path.
Joining a powerful faction would indeed bring many benefits, but it would also come with significant restrictions. Moreover, the Black-Corner Region was full of treacherous and deceitful people. If certain treasures were exposed, it could lead to the jealousy and greed of those within his own faction, potentially turning allies into enemies.
Although Mo Yu wasn't afraid of such troubles, not fearing trouble didn't mean he welcomed it.
So, Mo Yu came up with another idea: if joining a faction was inconvenient, why not create his own?
This idea had previously been vague, but now, with Purple Flame having the opportunity to transform, it could become a reality.
With Purple Flame, a being comparable to a Dou Wang, guarding his faction, Mo Yu wouldn't have to worry about it being wiped out while he pursued his studies at Jia Nan Academy, even in the chaotic Black-Corner Region.
As Mo Yu was thinking this, a voice of doubt suddenly rose from the audience, catching his attention.
"Wait a minute. I've heard that while the Di Yan Auction House is decent in the Black-Corner Region, it's still not on the same level as the major auction houses. They shouldn't be able to produce a treasure like a seventh-grade pill. Are you trying to trick us with a fake?"
This statement immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd, with many others expressing similar doubts. After voicing the concern, the speaker fell silent, apparently trying to avoid retaliation from the Di Yan Sect by hiding.
Mo Yu quietly activated his Thunder Extreme Silver Eyes but couldn't locate the speaker, which surprised him. It was the first time someone had managed to evade his sight. The Black-Corner Region was indeed full of extraordinary individuals.
Shaking his head, Mo Yu refocused on the red pill on the crystal platform. His silver eyes flashed with a faint light, and after a moment, his brow furrowed slightly.
He noticed that while the Shapeshifting Pill emitted an extraordinary aura, there was a slight instability between its human and beast forms. It seemed unable to perfectly control the transition between the two states.
"Hmm, it's a flawed pill. I almost didn't notice. No wonder the Di Yan Auction House was willing to auction it off," Snake Uncle's raspy voice said.
"A flawed pill?"
"It's understandable if you don't know. Flawed pills only occur with seventh-grade or higher pills. Normally, a pill either forms correctly or becomes a failed pill. But with seventh-grade and higher pills, they develop a certain spirituality, so even if they don't form perfectly, they can still become flawed pills. A flawed pill retains some of its medicinal power, but how much depends on the specific case. Judging by the condition of this Shapeshifting Pill, it's not perfect, but its medicinal power shouldn't be too low. However, I can't estimate exactly how much without further analysis."
Mo Yu nodded in understanding. This was the first time he had heard of flawed pills.
At that moment, on the crystal platform, the auctioneer's face stiffened upon hearing the audience's doubts. After a brief moment, he forced a smile and explained, "Please, everyone, don't be hasty. I haven't finished introducing this pill."
"This is indeed the Shapeshifting Pill. As for its origin, I cannot disclose it due to the seller's privacy. As for why this pill ended up at the Di Yan Auction House, it's because it's not a perfect pill."
"Hmph, so you're trying to trick us with a defective pill? Is this how the Di Yan Sect operates?" the audience began to grumble in anger.
Seeing the crowd's reaction, the auctioneer quickly offered a bitter smile and explained, "Although this Shapeshifting Pill isn't perfect, once a pill reaches the seventh grade and above, it's no longer an ordinary pill. Even if it's not perfect, it still has some effect. After careful evaluation by our Di Yan Sect, we've determined that this Shapeshifting Pill is indeed usable. However, the probability of a magic beast successfully transforming after taking this pill is about fifty percent."
"Fifty percent?"
Hearing that the success rate was only half, Mo Yu's brow furrowed slightly. While not terrible, it wasn't particularly high either. Moreover, if a magic beast failed to transform, it wouldn't just fail to assume human form—its cultivation base and foundation would also be significantly damaged. For a moment, Mo Yu was uncertain.
"Mo Yu, fifty percent is enough. My Seven-Winged Purple Gold Snake bloodline has a special enhancement effect on transformation, which can boost Purple Flame's success rate by thirty percent. With that, we have an eighty percent chance, more than enough to attempt it," Snake Uncle advised.
"Oh…" Mo Yu's eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn't expected that Snake Uncle's bloodline could aid in a magic beast's transformation. Were ancient bloodlines all this mysterious and powerful?
"In that case, I must get this Shapeshifting Pill, but its price… I don't have enough money for it," Mo Yu muttered as he looked at the powerful factions eyeing the pill greedily.
"Hehe, kid, when did you become so timid? This is the Black-Corner Region, where killing and robbing are commonplace. If you can't buy it, then just take it by force. With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Mo Yu's eyebrows arched slightly, and a smile curled on his lips. He had been waiting for Snake Uncle to say those words.
"You sly kid, you planned this all along," Snake Uncle laughed, seeing through Mo Yu's intentions.
Having known Mo Yu for so long, Snake Uncle understood his character well. In his eyes, Mo Yu was like a prematurely mature child, showing none of the recklessness or naivety typical of someone his age.
Killing and robbing might be distasteful or guilt-inducing to other young people, but not to Mo Yu. This kid was ruthless and pragmatic.
But in the Dou Qi Continent, only people like that could survive longer and go further, Snake Uncle mused.
After reaching an agreement with Snake Uncle, Mo Yu sat quietly in his chair, no longer looking at the Shapeshifting Pill on the stage. Instead, his gaze subtly shifted to the several powerful factions ahead of him. Beneath his black hood, a cold smile began to form.
If everything went as expected, the Shapeshifting Pill would fall into the hands of one of these factions. The only question was, who would become his prey?
Mo Yu was determined to obtain the Shapeshifting Pill by any means necessary.
No matter where the buyer tried to escape afterward, they would face a deadly ambush from the shadows…
"Stop stalling and just give us the price. We trust the Di Yan Auction House's reputation," the Savage Beast Sect's young leader, Gao Ba, impatiently grumbled, his voice booming like a drum.
"Hehe." The auctioneer nodded with a smile, cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "I'm sure everyone understands the value of the Shapeshifting Pill. Although this particular pill isn't perfect, a fifty percent transformation success rate still makes it comparable to a top-tier sixth-grade pill. I trust there are no objections to that."
Upon hearing this, the audience members collectively nodded. A fifty percent success rate was worth the price—after all, it was still a Shapeshifting Pill.
Seeing everyone in agreement, the auctioneer breathed a sigh of relief. Although this was a rare seventh-grade pill, its imperfection meant it couldn't fetch the highest price. Selling it at the price of a top-tier sixth-grade pill was still a good outcome. However, the fifty percent success rate was their highest estimate, something the auctioneer wisely kept to himself.
"Given that everyone agrees, let's begin. As for the starting price of the Shapeshifting Pill, there won't be one!"
"Let's go. There's nothing more worth seeing at this auction. Given the Di Yan Auction House's confidence, this Shapeshifting Pill will likely go for at least a million," Snake Uncle said calmly.
Rubbing his chin, Mo Yu nodded slightly. With the auction nearing its end, there was indeed no reason to stay. Casting a sidelong glance at the eager factions ahead, a mysterious smile played on his lips. Then, he stood up and quietly left.
(End of Chapter)
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